Tennessee Tech finance students earn national first-place finish in banking case study competition
A team of students from Tennessee Tech University’s College of Business has earned first place in the 2026 Community Bank Case Study Competition hosted by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, besting teams from 27 universities across the country.
The competition challenges student teams to partner with a local community bank and conduct an in-depth analysis of real-world banking issues, including interest rate risk, lending decisions, inflation response and capital management.
Tech’s winning team included recent graduates Bo Briggs, Kaden Fray, Aaron Hughes, Michael Morrow and Madelyn Ray, who worked under the guidance of Alma Núñez, professor of finance in the College of Business.
The team partnered with Wilson Bank & Trust to examine how the bank managed its balance sheet, lending strategy and risk during a period marked by inflation and rapidly changing interest rates.
According to the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, the Tech team’s case study offered “an insider’s view” into how a Tennessee community bank navigated significant economic pressures while maintaining growth and financial stability.
“This case study is essentially a ‘how to’ manual on managing a community bank balance sheet in times of stress, developing and maintaining an effective loan strategy, pricing loans and monitoring loan performance,” said Karen Lawson, executive vice president for policy and supervision at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.
The competition drew 35 teams representing 27 colleges and universities nationwide. Winning entries were selected based on the depth of research, analysis and understanding of the community banking industry.
“This achievement reflects the students’ hard work, practical knowledge, and ability to collaborate toward a common goal,” said Thomas Payne, dean of Tech’s College of Business. “It also underscores the importance of great teachers, leaders, and mentors like Dr. Núñez. Experiential learning opportunities like this are central to our strategy and embedded in the DNA of the Tennessee Tech College of Business. This national recognition exemplifies the distinctive value of a Tech business degree.”
The students said the project gave them an opportunity to explore banking operations at a level rarely experienced in a traditional classroom setting.
“I enjoyed how hands-on the project was,” said Hughes, who focused on loan composition and the bank’s response to post-pandemic market volatility. “In larger classes, you don’t always get the opportunity to get this deep into the details.”
Briggs said the team took pride not only in the national recognition, but also in representing Tech in the competition for the first time in several years.
“I’m proud that this is the first time in several years Tennessee Tech has participated in this competition, and even more proud that we won,” he explained.
As part of the first-place finish, each Tech team member will receive a $1,000 scholarship. The students will also present their findings this fall at the annual Community Banking Research Conference hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
The winning case study will additionally be published in the annual Journal of Community Bank Case Studies later this year.